I'm a fan of 30 Rock and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, so when Tina Fey's name was attached to this movie I knew I wanted to see it. More than that, knowing it was based on the memoirs of female war correspondent meant I probably would have seen it anyway. I want to read the book.
I've read the reviews here and agree with the many insightful positive comments on the movie. There isn't much need to go into them in detail, so I'll summarize what I liked most:
A chance to see what it's really like to be an embedded journalist in a war zone, including the partying, but also the more realistic aspects, such as dealing with network executives responding to public indifference.
I liked the focus on career rivalry/friendship between the two women. As many other women, including Fey herself, have observed, usually women are portrayed either as romantic rivals or enemies, while good looking women especially are portrayed as empty headed or mean, and marriage or man obsessed.
I liked the movie's emphasis on career as a source of satisfaction and growth. The movie has been criticized because it allows Fey's character a romantic/sexual interest. Somehow that ruins the movie's "integrity" as a feminist story for some. Why aren't career women allowed boyfriends?
It felt more true to life than the type of rom-com relationship women are usually allowed; either a one-night stand (that results in hilarious pregnancy) or a happily ever after.
The real triumph was her success at the end, which by the way neatly turned the tables on the "damsel in distress" story. I loved it and it was worth seeing for that alone. It's worth taking your tween or princess obsessed daughter (who is old enough for mature content) to see.
I enjoyed seeing Fey get a chance to grow as an actress, especially a 40-something one. They don't take her too far into drama or tragedy territory; just enough.
The movie has gotten some criticism for using a Western actor, Christian Abbot, to play an Afghan role, her translator and fixer. I went in prepared to dislike that. However, I could see that they chose to cast an actor with the range and depth they needed, rather than the ethnicity. It works. The scene where he tells her why he no longer wants to drive for her broke my heart. It was so sweet and his Fahim had so much depth.
So, all the things I liked. Here is the one thing I had a problem with: The portrayal, or lack thereof, of Afghan women. This probably reflects the book, which I haven't read. At the same time, they added other aspects that weren't in the book. A real missed opportunity comes when Kim is asked into a room full of village women. They take off their veils. The camera stands behind them. We never see their faces. This could have humanized these women in one shot and we miss it. She comes out later to report what they told her, but we never hear them speak. It was a real disappointment. If any group of people needed a voice in this story, it was the women of Afghanistan.
But anyway, see it. I did, and I'm sure I'll watch it again.
I've read the reviews here and agree with the many insightful positive comments on the movie. There isn't much need to go into them in detail, so I'll summarize what I liked most:
A chance to see what it's really like to be an embedded journalist in a war zone, including the partying, but also the more realistic aspects, such as dealing with network executives responding to public indifference.
I liked the focus on career rivalry/friendship between the two women. As many other women, including Fey herself, have observed, usually women are portrayed either as romantic rivals or enemies, while good looking women especially are portrayed as empty headed or mean, and marriage or man obsessed.
I liked the movie's emphasis on career as a source of satisfaction and growth. The movie has been criticized because it allows Fey's character a romantic/sexual interest. Somehow that ruins the movie's "integrity" as a feminist story for some. Why aren't career women allowed boyfriends?
It felt more true to life than the type of rom-com relationship women are usually allowed; either a one-night stand (that results in hilarious pregnancy) or a happily ever after.
The real triumph was her success at the end, which by the way neatly turned the tables on the "damsel in distress" story. I loved it and it was worth seeing for that alone. It's worth taking your tween or princess obsessed daughter (who is old enough for mature content) to see.
I enjoyed seeing Fey get a chance to grow as an actress, especially a 40-something one. They don't take her too far into drama or tragedy territory; just enough.
The movie has gotten some criticism for using a Western actor, Christian Abbot, to play an Afghan role, her translator and fixer. I went in prepared to dislike that. However, I could see that they chose to cast an actor with the range and depth they needed, rather than the ethnicity. It works. The scene where he tells her why he no longer wants to drive for her broke my heart. It was so sweet and his Fahim had so much depth.
So, all the things I liked. Here is the one thing I had a problem with: The portrayal, or lack thereof, of Afghan women. This probably reflects the book, which I haven't read. At the same time, they added other aspects that weren't in the book. A real missed opportunity comes when Kim is asked into a room full of village women. They take off their veils. The camera stands behind them. We never see their faces. This could have humanized these women in one shot and we miss it. She comes out later to report what they told her, but we never hear them speak. It was a real disappointment. If any group of people needed a voice in this story, it was the women of Afghanistan.
But anyway, see it. I did, and I'm sure I'll watch it again.